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Thursday, 1 September 2011

Are you in need of a chocolate fix? I was, the other night. I cursed my empty cupboards. I cursed the absence of a secret chocolate stash. I cursed and I sulked and I craved and I yearned... and then I remembered I had this glorious tub of vegan coconut mocha ice cream sweetly tucked away in the freezer.

How could I have forgotten? But I remember now. I remember licking that sensational batter off the spoon. I remember swiping my fingers all round the insides of the saucepan and the blender, savouring every last glossy, clinging remnant. I remember hoping that the wonderful batter would turn into an even more wonderful ice cream. And now, here it is. Here it is, perfectly frozen, perfectly ready to satisfy me... perfectly delicious.

a half-eaten tub of fabulous homemade vegan coconut mocha ice cream.

Don't be alarmed by the inclusion of avocado in the recipe. You won't even taste it, but it's there alright, weaving a lush buttery magic through the concoction. Then there's the sultriness of the thick, full-fat coconut cream, and the sexy integrity of a good quality organic cocoa powder - even in its frozen state, I get a strong whiff of chocolate whenever I open up this tub of ice cream. Absolute decadence. I never thought I'd say this about a vegan recipe, but this is rich, rich goodness, and not for the faint of heart.

This makes only a very small portion of ice cream, so feel free to multiply the quantities for a bigger batch.

Freeze in a container. Take the container out of the freezer to give the mixture a good 30 second whisk every half an hour for the next two hours, then allow it to rest serenely in the freezer until sufficiently frozen for consumption.

*As coffee doesn't always sit well with me, I opted for a more chocolatey mocha with a high ratio of cocoa powder. If you would like the coffee flavour to shine through, feel free to adjust to your taste. If you would like a more mildly sweet ice cream, sugar used can be reduced to 1/4 cup, though the texture of the resulting ice cream might turn out harder.

vegan coconut mocha ice cream: the pretentious version.

In other news, I figured this was as good a time as any for a first attempt at creating ice cream quenelles. Okay, so my quenelle isn't particularly handsome, but at least it's not completely horrendous. Or is it? ... I hurriedly dressed it up with a macadamia nut and a strawberry slice to give it a little more character. I think I just needed some kind of crumble to complete the picture, but this was all I had, and the ice cream was starting to melt, and I was getting tired, and...

Seriously, though, when I'm not trying to take fancy photos for my blog and all that jazz, I just dig in with a spoon. Sometimes - and this is not just my indolent nature speaking - it's the simple things I enjoy most, and eating ice cream straight out of the tub while curled up in bed on a cool breezy night? Bliss at its best.

JasmyneTea, I made this without an ice cream maker and I'm really happy with it! Give it a try. :)

Miss Adriennely, oh yes you should, making ice cream is so much fun, and rewarding too!

Hey Ashley, I added coffee with the idea that it would give it more depth and dimension in flavour. Not sure how distinct a difference it made. Will have to do it as experiment with two batches to really find out, if anyone's up for it. ;)

Thank god! Finally an ice cream recipe that does not require an Ice cream maker. Thank you! Really. All the recipes that I seem to come across all require the ice cream maker that I sadly do not possess and then I came across your recipe for that awesome looking, delectable treat. No prize for guessing what I am going to be making soon! :)

I'm not vegan, but you've made this ice cream sound irresistible! I love the idea of avocado for richness and texture. A little tip about quenelles from someone who spent a lot of time in the restaurant biz- use two spoons and warm them in a mug of very hot water between quenelles. Make about 50 quenelles and you'll have it down! :)

leaf!! your detailed description of your craving and exasperation was HYSTERICAL!!! i was in stitches hahaha... oh hey, so creative of you to use an avo, am sure it made your ice cream a smoother texture. have never made ice cream before but will try this soon since weather's getting warmer... but is it ok to substitute cocoa with milo powder? haha... cz i normally only have milo in my pantry lol

Yes, this does look like bliss. All of my favorite flavors, gluten-free, dairy-free (I'm a meat-eater but I'm trying to switch to vegetarian at least four days a week.) I am so trying this! :)BTW, thanks for you input on my blog, it is much appreciated. ^^ You, dear Sir/Madam/Indolent Cook, have rightfully earned a place in my RSS feed.

I am getting mixed sensations in my head right now, cos I'm not a coconut fan (unless it's a fresh one). It's the way you describe how the ice cream have the soothing effect on your i-can't-get-no-satisfaction. Avocado just makes things that much better.

PFx - I don't use a lot of coconut cream in my meals either, but I think it works really nicely here with the other flavours. :)

Adrian, you can reduce the cocoa and coffee if you'd like to be able to taste the avocado! I'm guilty of always hiding it amongst stronger ingredients because I'm still a little iffy about that distinctive avocado taste. :p

Awesome recipe.. have a lot of vegan clients, always asking for dairy free desserts. Would love to post this recipe both on my blog and website. Just revamped my blog .. so recipe section is empty right now. Do visit my blog when you get a chance and let me know if I can share your recipe.